


Three Reasons to Live; A Hundred Reasons to Love You.

by SonictheHedgehog



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: 100 Themes Challenge, Cafe Nagi totally sells tofu dogs alright fight me on that, Fluff, Kisses, Lots and lots of kisses, M/M, Vegetarian Ryoken, look it's a headcanon my girlfriend has and I like it so it stuck with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 23:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonictheHedgehog/pseuds/SonictheHedgehog
Summary: Circuit boards are made of many different lines in their structure -- all of them leading to one singular purpose and goal."You're able to save me, and I'm able to save you."Datastormshipping 100 Themes Challenge. Not done in order; read in whichever order you feel like. Featuring guest stars, AUs, plenty of one shots and perhaps continuing concepts? We'll see where this takes us!





	Three Reasons to Live; A Hundred Reasons to Love You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #1 - Introduction. 
> 
> Post-Canon (AU). Guest stars: All of Team Playmaker. Kusanagi, Takeru, Jin, the whole gang is here! 
> 
> Ryoken and Yusaku are absolutely the types of children to make promises that last lifetimes when they're younger, and then have to deal with that when older.
> 
> Happy new year! Let's get this started!

#001 - A New Year, A New Beginning

\--

The walkway alongside Den City’s coast was bustling and bright in its own way, even long after the sun had said it’s goodbyes and fallen behind the mountainside behind them. Yusaku Fujiki merely sat, as he usually did, on one of Kusanagi’s only pop-up tables; the number of them growing through the years, but only to three. As usual, he had his laptop in front of him as he had something of interest on his screen, but his attention was elsewhere as he focused rather on the string lights Kusanagi, Takeru, and Yusaku himself had put around the venue Kusanagi had put up for the evening — watching Takeru and Aoi joke around and play keep-away over the pocky boxes the three of them had decided to split for something exciting to share for the evening. As they had their fun, enjoying their company as Kusanagi watched on with laughter, cooking everyone’s hot dogs as Jin sat comfortably inside the truck, Yusaku merely simply watched. As per usual. 

The only thing different to this usual, was that it was New Years’ Eve. 

It may have only been two people bickering like brother and sister as Takeru held the box of pocky above his head triumphantly to try and deny Aoi the Cookies and Creame pocky _she_ specifically requested, that was plenty enough for Yusaku to have his eyes glaze over slightly as his mind brought him back to simpler times. To, maybe in the past, what he saw as brighter times as well. 

Of a household as merry and bright and optimistic as the group he had now. Of a family of a little sister who was teasing her baby brother who was only three years old, causing him to whine as she played keep away with his favorite teething bear. Things were loud as his mom and dad had some fun bickering of their own as midnight approached. Something about whether or not his dad was going to kiss his mom. Something of the sort. 

He had been through this before. But what was different was… 

_“Kiss?” Spoke a voice from across from him — across a duel field of cards. “They’re gonna kiss when it becomes the new year?”_

_“Yeah,” the recently turned six-year-old Yusaku replied to the older boy who turned his head around to watch his friend’s parents, “it’s to start it off good! With how much they love each other!”_

_“That sounds nice… I never saw my mom do that to my father…” The older boy hummed, and Yusaku was quick to fall into silence. He had only known this new friend for so long, but. He already knew more than anyone else in his life did. He knew it was a difficult subject, and so he remained silent._

_It didn’t seem to deter his friend any, as he soon leaned forward on his hands enthusiastically, ignoring the face downs he had as they moved against the wind kicked up slightly._

_“Hey, should we do that?”_

_“… Do what?”_

_“Kiss! To bring in the new year!”_

_Yusaku gasped lightly at the idea. His face felt warm as emerald eyes looked into light sky blues, shining ever so beautifully. “But… Ryoken… that’s for people who love each other, right?”_

_“Well, we love each other, don’t we?” Ryoken answered, with a tilt of his head. “You’re my best friend, Yusaku.”_

_“Y-yeah, but… is… that okay?”_

_“I think it is! Best friends love each other, too, right? So, why shouldn’t we?”_

_“Well,” Yusaku said, fidgeting in a coat to big for him as brows that were once furrowed finally eased, a smile coming on his features as he beamed at his best friend, “if you think it’s okay, then I think it’s okay! Let’s kiss!”_

_“Alright!” Ryoken agreed, beaming back with a smile so bright, that…_

_“Ah, here it comes, here it comes!!” Spoke out the father of the household, pulling his wife close. Yusaku had a silent gasp fill him up, and with a quick glance, he could see Ryoken squirm where he sat against the floor._

_He was excited. And seeing him excited made Yusaku excited, too._

_“5!” Yusaku heard his family of three call out, watching the clock tick by. Ryoken turned and faced him — stealing his attention away from watching his sister playfully raise their baby brother’s hands in the air as he cooed._

_“4!”_

_Ignoring the cards of the duel they were in the middle of before once again, Ryoken moved closer with a quick swipe of his hands to move himself across, cards cast away in his wake._

_Yusaku felt a strong pounding in his chest._

_“3!”_

_Ryoken was close now, smiling at him as all they had to do was wait for the year to end. There was fluttering in Yusaku’s stomach, as he couldn’t help but smile back._

_They were doing this. They were gonna do this._

_They didn’t know the weight of what they were doing._

_“2!”_

_Yusaku went ahead and moved himself closer with a tiny huff of a sound. He looked up at Ryoken to make sure that was okay — as his lips were near Ryoken’s own — nearly puckered. Ryoken didn’t flinch, or move back._

_“1!”_

_In fact, his smile seemed to grow slightly at the ends._

_There was a pause — and then —_

_Yusaku closed his eyes and moved his head forward — and there was something wet. Something that felt exactly like the tiny kisses from his mom he had when he was younger._

_“Happy New Year!!” Yusaku heard his sister cry, his parents quiet as they shared their moment — and Yusaku shared his with Ryoken._

_It didn’t last long, but it sent a wave through him. He liked how it felt._

_They pulled away, lips un-puckered as they stared at each other as the husband and wife cried out in enjoyment of the new year. Emerald and sky blue. Staring in wonder… before they both let out tiny laughs to themselves only children could let go._

_“That was nice!” Ryoken answered._

_“Yeah! It was!” Yusaku laughed out, smiling bright._

_“Yusaku,” Ryoken began, his happiness clear in his voice, “I want to kiss you every New Years’ Eve from now on!”_

_And Yusaku, unaware of the weight of his promise, as well as what the future of the year held for him, nodded his head with an agreeing hum._

_“Mmhm!! Yeah! Me, too!”_

… 

His face fell, as his eyes went to his shoes and the tile walkway that saw many a visitor as Stardust Road appeared every chance it had, as what was a warm memory took a turn for the worse, as the promise was soured and shattered. 

They never had another year. 

“Yusaku?” Called a voice, causing him to lift his head up as he jumped, turning his emerald-eyed gaze to what were still bright blues, reflecting the gorgeous string-lights within them as they faced Yusaku with a raised brow and a chin resting against the back of his hand. Ryoken spoke again, “Are you alright?” 

“Y…” His voice was caught in his throat for a moment, a murkiness in his chest as being brought out of his thoughts didn’t at all ease his heartache. “… Yeah. I’m fine.” 

“Mmm,” Ryoken hummed, still staring at him as he decided not to pry, turning his gaze to Aoi, who had just landed a punch Takeru wasn’t expecting right in the gut — causing him to cry out and double over, and the Blue Maiden had taken back her pocky. 

There was some sort of muffled and strained cry from him of how Aoi was a cheater of some sort, but it went ignored. Especially since Yusaku could feel Ryoken’s attention was back on him once again. 

“It’s been some time since we’ve celebrated New Years together.” Ryoken spoke, a smile on his face Yusaku could see — chose to see — out of the corner of his eye as he went back to typing on his laptop. 

“Yeah,” he answered simply, waving it off. He had already thought enough on that. 

“We haven’t celebrated it since…” Ryoken trailed off, not freeing Yusaku from his past just yet. 

Yusaku continued to type, and refused to allow the past to get to him again. 

“Since we were young. I know.” 

“Do you remember our promise?” Ryoken asked, cutting right to the chase and Yusaku’s hands halted. He sat there. Frozen in a moment as time ticked away to have the year fall away faster by the second. A silent ticking as Yusaku soon moved again, moving his hands away from the keyboard as he sighed. He accepted that he wasn’t getting out of this. 

“How could I forget that? Ryoken?” Yusaku asked, earning a slight chuckle from Ryoken. 

“I’m glad to know I’m not the only one,” Ryoken said, heart in his voice as Yusaku didn’t even have to see his smile. 

“We were so naive then. Not realizing the weight of what we had promised. Promising our kisses tonight to each other. As if any significant others we’d have wouldn’t mind.” 

Yusaku simply hummed, a warmth in his chest that he kept to himself. 

Some of it decided to leak out, however. “But there are none. Twelve years since then, and yet there’s no one else to claim those kisses.” 

“Mmmm, I suppose you’re right.” Ryoken spoke simply, happiness still found in his tone. 

Neither of them talked for some time, Yusaku’s hands not ever nearing his computer again as he simply stared at the screen of messages between him and a conversation partner. Someone he still couldn’t let go of after all this time, and everything they had been through. An encrypted connection only Yusaku could access when he desired. 

The last message was ever so enthusiastic, and of course lovingly, annoyingly teasing. 

_“Happy New Year, Yusaku! Make sure to give the gun guy a big wet kiss! >30”_

Ai really hadn’t changed much, had he? 

Still, unaware of what was plaguing him, Ryoken spoke again. 

“… I don’t suppose… that tradition is what’s dragging you down?” 

Yusaku doesn’t answer right away. And when he does, it’s once again another attempt at pushing it away and denying it all for the sake of trying to move forward. 

“No. That’s not it.” 

“Then… what is it? I’d rather not see you like this when the new year arrives.” 

A sigh leaves Yusaku. “It’s not the promise. It’s… an absence of something.” 

“An absence? An… absence of what?” 

“It doesn’t matter. Ryoken.” 

“No,” Ryoken affirms, moving closer across the table by pushing his chest forward — just as he did when he was smaller, “it does to me. What is it that you’re missing?” 

“It’s…” Once again, Yusaku feels his face growing warm. He found it difficult to make eye contact with Ryoken. Was he really doing this? Yes. He was. 

He felt like he could tell Ryoken everything in his heart, after all. 

“… It’s something I still desire, but wish it didn’t lack what I wanted from it.” 

“Something you still desire, but lacks something…? Yusaku, what do you…?” 

Yusaku turned, and faced Ryoken. There was a sadness in his eyes that shot towards Ryoken that seemed to tell him all he wanted to know. It seemed to click. That Ryoken wasn’t reading him wrong — it just… wasn’t in the direction he expected. 

Ryoken turned red against the dimmed lighting, visible below his shining eyes. It was Ryoken’s turn to look away. 

“… I see.” 

Silence took yet another minute of the year away from them — Kusanagi’s timer on the grill going off and being silenced after only two beeps with a click of a button on the interface. 

“There’s only a minute left of the year! Come get your hot dogs everyone!!” 

Takeru was quick to voice his excitement as he finally got up off of the ground and ran towards the truck. Aoi followed at her own pace. Jin finally freed himself from his chair and stood close to his brother; silently grabbing onto his shirt as they dished out their hot dogs. 

Ryoken and Yusaku were left alone, for the time being. Which seemed to be for the best. 

“… So that’s what you desire. For the kisses we promised… to always be yours?” 

“… Yeah,” Yusaku spoke out. “I’ve spent long enough remembering that kiss, and how it was our first. How it was a naive promise we made.”

He turned his gaze back downward, a melancholy emotion clear on his face. “… And about how I’ve always wanted to feel that again. To feel more of it.” 

“… Yusaku, you—…” 

“Your hot dogs, gentlemen!” Takeru said, smiling bright as he placed Yusaku’s usual of lettuce and ketchup alongside Ryoken’s standard veggie dog, giving them both a grin as they gave him their attention, thanking him so that way what stayed between them would remain that way, up until Takeru went to go back to the railing in order to make sure he saw the fireworks the best he could. Yusaku went back to looking to the other, empty side of his chair as Ryoken didn’t dare look away. 

The hot dogs threatened to get cold as the last minute of the year ticked by quietly. 

“So… you’ve felt this way about me… for how long?” 

“… In truth, it was a year and a half since my heart’s truly and fully started to beat for you, without anything holding it back such as Lightning or the Tower.

“… But… If I were to use your words… long before the promise was shattered.” 

“… Yusaku, I—…” 

There was no response, for just a little while.. before time made itself known through their friends. 

“Ten seconds left, everyone!” Takeru shouted, “Lets count it down!” 

“10!” 

Ryoken gasped at the count down, Yusaku raising his gaze to watch his friends as they called out the years’ ending. 

“9!” 

Ryoken quickly turned to his conversation partner of the evening, hot dog untouched.

“So do you still desire that kiss I’ve promised you?” 

“No—“ 

“8!” 

“—Not for the sake of tradition. We aren’t kids anymore, Ryoken.”

“7!” 

“You have someone else who desires your kisses. And I’ll find my someone else in time.” 

“6!” 

Ryoken bit his lip, balling his hand into a fist against the table. 

“… There is no someone else.” 

“5!” 

“What?” Yusaku asked quietly, looking up towards Ryoken. 

“You heard me. There is no someone else.”

“4!” 

“I’ve desired your kisses as much as you’ve desired mine.” 

Yusaku’s eyes widened. There’s a shine in his eyes that had been missing ever since the occasion had placed him back in old memories. 

“3!” 

“So,” Ryoken spoke, voice full of conviction and expression stern, “if you desire my kiss…” 

“2!” 

“… You have seconds to take it.” 

Yusaku couldn’t help himself — his heart was pounding in his chest, adrenaline rushing through — he stared at Ryoken’s lips, and then up at Ryoken himself. 

It was true. He had seconds. 

And he had decided faster than that. 

“1!” 

Yusaku was the one to lean forward — placing his hands on Ryoken’s shoulders — holding him in place as only the second was the last thing stopping them. Ryoken didn’t seem startled, nor unprepared, as he simply stared back into Yusaku’s eyes in wait. 

— And then — 

“Happy New Year!!” Takeru, Aoi, and Kusanagi were heard cheering as shrill screeches of fireworks being released into the air shot through the night, and the explosion of red, yellow, and orange lit up the night sky as Ryoken and Yusaku were a bit more invested in a different explosion. 

There was that wetness again. Familiar, but. Different. Different from where they had placed their lips, and different in the sense in that… the pulse that shot through Yusaku was stronger. More powerful. More _invigorating._ Because this wasn’t a kiss of tradition, or a fun game of kids mimicking what grown ups do. 

This was a kiss of love. Of shared affections. Of being attached to someone for over ten years and finally having it be returned. 

They could let their friends and companions hoot and holler all they wanted. All that they were focused on in that moment was each other. 

The kiss lasted longer than their first — taking up moments upon moments upon moments of the new year as they missed flashes of reds and pinks and allowed their friends to drink up the sparkles of the night sky while they remained engaged in one another. 

… But all good things had to come to an end, and the kiss did indeed end — with breaths hitting each other’s faces and lingering lips that threatened to go in for more, but… didn’t, as Yusaku moved away… only to have Ryoken sigh and wrap his arms around him, pulling him close again as he scoot his chair forward. Yusaku gasped as his head hit Ryoken’s chest with a small plop, and he was taken by surprise as he watched a golden firework cover the entire smoke-filled sky, hearing another one launch into the air before finally relaxing in Ryoken’s hold, releasing a sigh as he slowly wrapped his arms around his partner. Keeping him in a nice and secure hold. 

Gentle, but not willing to let go. 

He could hear Takeru laughing in delight as another orange firework exploded with a bang, but Yusaku was more focused in the faint thumps of Ryoken’s pulse, and the wind of the new year blowing his hair in his face just a tiny bit. 

“… This…” Ryoken finally spoke, voice lowered to avoid startling his partner in his arms, “… Is amazing. After so long of dreaming of holding you like this…” 

Yusaku softly nodded against Ryoken’s chest. “Yeah… I’m glad we got to.” 

“… So, it’s official, then?” Ryoken asked, and Yusaku didn’t even have to ask what he meant. 

“… Yeah. I’m yours. If you’ll have me.” 

Ryoken simply chuckled, wrapping his arms around Yusaku even tighter than before. Yusaku liked how the tighter embrace felt. It felt safe and warm. 

“Yusaku,” Ryoken spoke softly, smile clear in his voice just as it was before, “of course I’ll have you. You’re all I ever wanted.” 

Against Ryoken’s chest, Yusaku had to simply smile softly as he buried his cheek further into his pink turtleneck sweater. “… I’m glad, then. I’m really glad.” 

“And so am I,” Ryoken responded. 

This time, the moment between them was not at all still — sky exploding into reds, pinks, all colors imaginable as green eyes reflected them against the dark of the night, watching as Takeru and Aoi still enjoyed the festivities but simply sat and watched with Kusanagi and Jin by their side. If they had noticed what they had done and what they were doing, they had picked the option to leave the two of them alone — which was probably for the best. 

Yusaku’s idle fireworks viewing was ruined by Ryoken. A good ruined, however. Not a bad ruined. 

“Mmm,” He hummed, calling his boyfriend’s attention away, “and so our promise is reborn anew.” He said. Yusaku had to chuckle lightly. 

“Seems so,” he responded, not moving from Ryoken’s chest. 

“Well,” Ryoken continued, pulling Yusaku away from his chest with his hands on his shoulders. Already as the cold wind chill of the start of New Years’ Day hit his arms, Yusaku already missed Ryoken’s warmth from being so close. But he was curious. Just what was he planning? 

“It seems I have some debt to you.” 

“Mm? Debt?” 

“Mm. Yes. A debt of twelve years of unanswered kisses.” Ryoken spoke, growing closer and closer to Yusaku, mere inches away from his lips all over again. 

Suddenly, Yusaku didn’t feel so cold anymore as with a blink, his face felt like it was on fire. 

“Wait—,” Yusaku released fast, heart lurching in his chest. He wasn’t ready—! “Ryoken—!” 

He wasn’t given much of a choice, as Ryoken went back in for another kiss — being met with closed lips as Yusaku squeezed his eyes shut and yet despite that he could tell Ryoken was giving it his all. The Rokket duelist made it his goal to express his affections through the kiss, and the message worked; easing Yusaku’s nerves as his shoulders fell and he eased into his touch just before he pulled away. Emerald eyes fluttered back open, being greeted to a smirk. 

“There’s one,” Ryoken said quietly, staying inches away from Yusaku’s lips again. 

“Ryoken…” Yusaku breathed, his reluctance on the matter gone as he grew to be fine with the situation he found himself in. 

Twelve kisses…? Was Ryoken really going to give him eleven more kisses? He didn’t know how he was going to handle all that so soon…

Ryoken didn’t give him much time to think on it — as he went ahead and went in for the second; being greeted with a much warmer reception. Their teeth met from having their mouths be a bit too open, but they adjusted nonetheless and found a warm, happy medium. 

Yusaku Fujiki could get used to this. 

Ryoken got his third, pulling away to instead steal the fourth on Yusaku’s cheek, causing him to release a bubble of laughter. The fifth was once again shared. So was the sixth, and the seventh… 

Eventually Takeru interrupted and spoke about how they needed a room for this, and Ryoken was quick to tell him that he could mind his own business and he had a debt to repay before going in for the eighth. As well as the ninth; speeding it up to quick and soft pecks for Yusaku’s comfort about a scene being made. 

Takeru made a comment about their hot dogs being uneaten and cold, and Kusanagi was quick to come up and laugh, pulling Takeru away and telling them to “just have their fun.”

The tenth was on the cheek, eleventh on the lips, and the special twelfth kiss was once again a lingering one. One that Yusaku felt a tingling on his lips from as his chest remained warm all the way home. 

The “goodbye, my love” was a nice touch as well. Was it legal to feel this complete? Ryoken was finally his, after so long of desiring more between them and keeping it to himself. 

As he got home, and placed his schoolbag by his bedside… he realized that he had left a certain someone without a reply. 

It took him a few minutes to set up the encrypted special connection that dodged the network, and then he saw that teasing message once again. 

Yusaku let a smirk come on his features. Guess it was time to remind Ai of who his origin was. 

_“Happy New Year, Yusaku! Make sure to give the gun guy a big wet kiss! >30”_

It took Yusaku no time at all to type what he wanted to say back, and then send it. 

_”Just did.”_

It didn’t take long to wait. 

_”Haha, good one!_

_... Wait, did you really???”_

_“And if I did?”_

_“…._

_UGGGHHH GROSS GET A ROOM!!! YOU DON’T NEED TO BE TELLING YOUR IGNIS THIS!!!”_

Yusaku couldn’t help but release a few laughs from that, before closing his laptop and finally heading to sleep.


End file.
